Birth and Death of the Streetcar – Part I

Many people wonder why San Francisco’s Muni Metro lines have letters J through N, skipping all the preceding letters.

Ninety five years ago, on 28 December 1912, the San Francisco Municipal Railway (which is now called Muni) opened its first line, the A Geary-Park, which traveled from downtown on Geary Street and then onto Tenth Avenue towards Golden Gate Park. The B Geary-Ocean took Geary Street all the way to 33rd Avenue and then traveled down to the now-demolished Playland-at-the-Beach amusement park. The C California, would cut over from Geary Street to California Street at Second Avenue. At this time in the early twentieth century, streetcars ruled most of San Francisco (and America’s) streets.

Since private automobiles were not yet mainstream, the trolleys were the best way to get to and from downtown. Several private companies competed against the publicly owned Muni, such as the Market Street Railway Company. The 4 Sutter, the 21 Hayes, the 22 Fillmore, and several other recognizable bus routes were in fact Market Street Railway lines. Streetcar lines created a massive web network over the city and sparked urban development in the western part of the city. Most of the southwestern quadrant of the city was developed thanks to the Twin Peaks subway tunnel, that zipped Muni streetcar lines K, L, and M to downtown.

Market Street was the main corridor for all streetcar companies, with two tracks in each direction. Trolleys were departing frequently from the Ferry Plaza to destinations throughout San Francisco. The Bay Bridge was not opened until 1936 and until then, most people would arrive by boat and then board a streetcar. Market Street remains a heavy corridor for Muni vehicles today. Muni Metro light rail vehicles roll underground while historic trolleys and buses chug along the surface.

Tomorrow: the demise of the Muni streetcars (and the B Geary) and the failed promises to restore trains on Geary Street.